This invention pertains generally to digital imaging devices and the communication therewith, and more particularly to devices and architecture for customizing and interfacing with digital imaging devices.
Digital imaging devices (“DID”) are complex machines that require network administration attention. Such devices include simple printers and fax machines as well as multi-functional peripherals (“MFP”). In order to manage most DIDs on a network, administrators make use of either a Common Information Model (“CIM”) or a Simple Networking Management Protocol (“SNMP”). Both architectures provide an almost universal and platform independent mechanism to access and interface with digital imaging devices. For each DID, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (“OEM”) creates a description of device management information relating to CIM and SNMP networks. Such management information generally includes textual binary descriptors that describe the nature of the device, the management capabilities of the device, the names of the objects native to the device, the types of actions the device can perform, etc. Value-added resellers (“VAR”), OEMs, or vendors then utilize the device management information to access and control the DIDs and to create software for managing the DIDs.
Due to the nature of the essentially universal solutions provided by the use of CIM and SNMP, both CIM and SNMP are extraordinarily complex. Consequently, there are only a handful of software applications that support these standards, which although popular, are insufficient to address the needs of OEMs and VARs. Additionally, the costs associated with developing the necessary descriptors, testing, and integrating DIDs with device management software are significant. Furthermore, most software applications that work with CIM or SNMP to manage DIDs contain Graphical User Interfaces (“GUI”) created by a VARs, OEMs, or vendors. The DID management GUIs are often not easily modifiable, and generally incorporate the software creator's corporate identification and style preferences.
In any given network, there are a number of DIDs. The DIDs may all be of the same brand or be from the same vendor, or they may represent a variety of different vendors, all of
In any given network, there are a number of DIDs. The DIDs may all be of the same brand or be from the same vendor, or they may represent a variety of different vendors, all of which utilize different management software and different GUIs. Even multiple devices from the same vendor may utilize different management software. Therefore, in order for network administrators to control the DIDs throughout a network, they must either use a number of different software packages or create their own software package. Using multiple packages presents a number of obvious problems such as inefficiency and an inconsistent look and feel of the software throughout the network. Creating new software packages for controlling DIDs is problematic because of the complexity of the CIM and SNMP models. It would therefore be preferable if VARs, network administrators, and even end users were able to create their own DID management programs or integrate DID management capabilities into their existing programs and network management tools.